The 42nd annual Hunger Games
by melissa.black.03
Summary: A girl begins the hunger games. She knows she needs to protect someone.
1. Chapter 1

The 42nd annual Hunger Games.

She could feel her heart beating wildly, fighting to get out of her chest. The bright lights danced in front of her eyes as she swallowed, but the hard lump stuck hard in her throat. She blinked as her vision adjusted, but all she could see was a dark forest, seemingly stretching on forever.

_40_

Looking around, she saw the terrified faces of the other competitors. Some were determined and had that look on their faces, the "_I'll-win-at-any-cost" _look. Those were the ones that scared her. Like Zander, the tribute from district 10. Then there were those who were lost, all hope crushed, the ones still hoping this was just some dream that they could wake up from, safe and warm in their beds. She shivered. "_I hope I don't look like that," _she thought.

_30_

Her body tensed, ready to run. In a way, she'd been training for this moment since she was born. In district 7, you were taught to fight at an early age. Every person in her district had prepared in case they were chosen, training since they were seven.

_20_

She had entered this knowing she would lose. No one was a match against those from tributes 1,2 and 4- they won almost always. But maybe, just maybe she could give her life for a worthwhile cause- was anyone here worth protecting? She looked around at the other tributes. Mariana, Ian, Amber, Karl, and more whose names she couldn't remember. Their faces all blurred together as the tears she'd been holding back threatened to invade her eyes. She shook her head. Not now.

_10_

She looked for the other boy from her district. Fernando. She didn't really know him that well, but as he caught her stare he smiled at her. She tried to smile back, but her face was frozen.

_0_

She ran. Faster than she'd ever run before. She was aiming to get one of those backpack thingies then sprint towards the forest. Unfortunately another tribute, Kelly, had the same idea. Kelly suddenly toppled backwards though, as a spear went straight into her heart from behind. She fell to her knees, eyes wild and staring with confusion. They pleaded for safety. But there was nothing the girl could do, as she stood and watched.

"Help me," Kelly whispered.

She shuddered, then became still. Somewhere in the distance, a cannon fired. The girl was frozen though- she'd seen the light go out of Kelly's eyes, the soul leave her. No amount of training could have prepared her for this.

She grabbed the backpack and ran.

**Please review **** more chapters coming soon**


	2. Chapter 2

The girl ran to the forest, hoping that the web of darkness and trees could enshroud her like a cloak. She had been christened Mai Olivia Jacobs- or at least, it was something resembling a christening. Not a lot of people in district 7 had enough money to afford a decent pair of shoes, let alone a christening, and her family was no exception.

She'd finally reached the forest. It was exactly what she's hoped for, the trees providing the perfect cover. She could sneak up on anyone and they'd never even realize until it was too late. Of course, that was a two way street. Mai reminded herself to be cautious. She ran at a steady pace for about 5 minutes, the branches scratching her face. Suddenly a ring of cannon shots fired into the air, startling Mai and causing her to lose her balance. Her foot snagged onto a large root and she fell backwards. Lying winded for a moment, she listened to the cannon firing. Every shot meant another death, a pointless waste of life of a human being. A person who'd had hopes and dreams, feelings and family, all of them suddenly snatched away just like that. And for what? So that a big city could have their entertainment? Mai stood up, disgusted. She looked up and saw she was standing at the base of a huge oak tree- the perfect climb. Luckily there were lots of trees in district 7, so Mai was no beginner. Grabbing hold of a branch, she hoisted herself up and climbed. Finding herself a perfect spot where she could sit and observe below without being seen, she crouched down and rocked back and forth with her hands over her ears, trying to block out the sound of the cannon.

Half an hour later, the forest was silent. It looked like the bloodbath was over. Mai lay on her side and closed her eyes, wanting sleep more than ever before. She was not a killer. She hated it here. Before she left her dad had told her to fight, to outwit the other kids. But Mai was already so tired. The tears that she'd been holding back for weeks finally escaped, and Mai slowly cried herself to sleep.

Mai opened her eyes. The sun was high in the sky, and sunlight illuminated her face. She wiped her palms across her face and straightened up; loving the feeling of warmth spreading through ought her body. She dropped down and pulled her backpack onto her shoulders. The forest looked so beautiful and alive. Maybe today would be ok.

Then she heard a branch snap behind her. Whirling around, she came face to face with Zander, carrying a knife in one hand and a hideous smile on his face. He lifted his arm and Mai noticed he had two teeth missing. She prepared for death.

Suddenly an expression of shock transformed Zander's face and he fell forwards onto his face. A dagger was lodged in his back, a bloodstain already forming. Looking up, she saw the tall figure of one of the other tributes behind him. His back was to her, and he was extracting his dagger and cleaning it on a patch of moss. He had jet black hair and a tanned neck. Finally he turned around and Mai saw his face. He was handsome, no doubt about that. His eyes though- they were amazing. Flecked with green, yellow, blue and brown, Mai couldn't even think of a colour for them. This was the boy from district 4. Mai couldn't remember his name, but she knew he'd gotten one of the highest marks on the grading.

"Are you going to kill me?" She asked, her voice surprising her with its calm authority.

He cocked his head to the side. "Do you want me to?"

"Are you retarded?"

He threw his head back and laughed. His laugh was like his voice, deep and rich and musical.

"I was more thinking we could be allies for now. No one ever survives alone," he said, his eyes twinkling.

Mai considered this for a moment. He was ruthless and dangerous, but hadn't he also just saved and spared her life? And he was right, no one could survive alone.

"Fine. Allies," She offered her hand.

"Allies," He agreed, and shook it. Mai smiled.

"I'm Mai," she offered. "I wish we could have met under different circumstances. Perhaps ones where we're not trying to kill each other."

"Destiny sucks. I'm Hunter."

**2****nd**** chapter. Please review, criticism appreciated! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Day 2**

Hunter and I went hunting after shaking hands. I quickly saw why he got such a high rank- as soon as he had a knife in his hands; he was invincible. I could barely even see the flash of sliver as his blade flew past, I could only feel the cold wind rushing by. I lost count of the amount of squirrels he killed after he hit 30.

"How...do you _do_ that?!" I asked in amazement, admiring the calm in his eyes as he flipped his wrist and killed yet another squirrel.

He grinned. "I'm just skilled. Plus I've been practicing with a knife since I was four."

"Wow...not many four-year-olds I know like to play with knives." I teased.

His eyes clouded. "I didn't have much choice," He said, suddenly all the joking and light-heartedness vanishing from his face.

I sighed. "Did any of us?" I muttered, kicking at a leaf.

"That's not what I meant," He said, and then smiled, his good mood returning abruptly. "So what's your talent? You know mine- knives."

I smiled. "I think I'll keep it secret for now."

"Well that's not very nice," He grinned.

I started to say a retort, when I heard a branch snap somewhere beside us. Immediately my body went into a fighting stance, and Hunter's hand grasped his knife. Crouched down, he signaled towards the left. I nodded, and started to walk to the right. Hiding behind a bush, I caught a glimpse of Veronica and Fernando. They were laughing at something, and I relaxed. They'd neither seen nor heard us- we were safe. I didn't want to kill them- I couldn't. I wasn't a murderer. Plus the two were obviously having a good time, and I didn't want to ruin what could be a last moment of happiness for either of them. The next thing I knew, they were kissing. I felt such a bittersweet taste in my mouth. Love was not welcome here. Who knew how quickly any one of us could be killed during these games? Out of respect I started to turn away, when out of the corner of my eye I saw Veronica bring up her hand. She'd concealed a knife beneath her sleeve and as I watched in horror, she stabbed Fernando once, twice in the back and he fell to the ground. I clapped a hand over my mouth to stop myself from crying out in horror. Veronica knelt down beside him, wiping her knife on the ground.

"Better you than me," she sneered. She got up and ran, without so much as a glance back.

I knew I shouldn't, but I ran to him. He was still breathing, his eyes wild. Looking at me, he tried to smile. He took my hand and squeezed it.

"For a moment there, I thought perhaps love could overcome the fear. She gave me hope," he managed to choke out, his breathing ragged. "I hope you win, Mai. You deserve it more than any of us." He shuddered once then became still. The cannon fired.

"That bitch," I whispered. "I will make you pay for this."

I hand't known Fernando all that well, but he seemed so nice. He shouldn't have been here. Even in death he had been brave. I got up to find Hunter, but he was already behind me.

"You see that?" I demanded angrily.

He shook his head. I told him what I'd witnessed.

"I should have killed her. He was so _nice_ Hunter. He thought they were in- in _lo_-"

"Don't. Don't say it," He said angrily. He put an arm around me and drew me close. I hadn't even realised I was crying. Holding me tight, he whispered into my hair; "You have to be strong to survive. Don't turn your back on anyone- especially not your ally." He let me go. "Come on, we should get moving." I walked after him.

We hiked for about two hours in silence, aware of everything around us. We stopped and Hunter started teaching me to throw a knife. After a bit of practice I found i was actually ok, although nothing compared to Hunter's amazing skill.

"You just have to practice more. If u don't practice, you're wasting your gift," he told me. It was so easy to talk to Hunter, and for a moment around his light-hearted spirit I could forget everything. Forget that I was in these games, forget that sooner or later Hunter and I would have to kill each other.

_Forget about my father and that night 2 years ago-_

No! I refused to think about that. Concentrating on the path ahead, I blocked everything out of my mind.

We hiked for another 3 hours, by which time it was starting to get dark. Sitting down on a patch of moss, I realized there was something I'd been meaning to ask him.

"Why me?"

"What?" He looked up, surprised by my sudden outburst.

"Out of all the people you could have chosen to have an alliance with, why pick me?"

He considered this. "You got really high marks in your test. Plus I guess it was an 'in the moment' decision kinda thing. You made me laugh, I decided not to kill you," He flashed a smile, the sunset transforming his face into a pillar of glowing radiance. His eyes reflected the pink and orange of the sky. He looked beautiful.

"Thanks. You sure know how to make a girl feel special."

He laughed. "Looking at your fashion sense on the first day, I knew you were a special person."

"Whats wrong with my style!? I dress fine!"

He smiled. "That's what you think."

"Well its not like we have a lot of choice over in district 7," I reminded him.

"True," he agreed.

We continued to talk about pointless little things for about an hour, before he stood up and yawned.

"We'll need our strength for tomorrow. Night," he dismissed.

"Night," I replied softly, too low for him to hear.

**Well theres chapter 3 :) I really would love some reviews to see what I can improve thanks guys**


	4. Chapter 4

**I decided to switch to first person **** Not sure why haha but I hope it's ok.**

My eyes lingered on Hunter's retreating figure as he walked away. I concentrated on the sounds of the forest; the birds quietly chirping, the rustle of the leaves as they moved with the wind, a stream trickling somewhere. I leaned back against the bark and relaxed, letting the sounds fill my ears like music. It was so peaceful here, so _sincere_. I felt safe in the forest- back in the old days the forest of district 7 was where I'd go to escape, to hide. Trust the gamemakers to turn nature's gift into a bloodbath.

'_Well, it's not like it's the first time you've killed,'_ my brain whispered.

The noise of the forest was replaced as the anthem surrounded me. It was everywhere, humming through my body to my fingertips. As it died down, I concentrated on the faces of the dead that I knew I was about to see. Out of the six careers, 2 were dead, and 8 out of the other tributes. Pain shot through my chest as I saw Fernando's face, and I gritted my teeth. I would make that bitch pay for what she did to him. Quickly I calculated that out of the original 24, 9 were dead. That left 14. Not too bad.

I wondered who would win. I knew it wasn't going to be me, that much was obvious. Probably Hunter or one of the other careers. In a way, being picked out of the reaping was almost a relief. A poem started to form in my head;

_A girl sits by her window_

_And looks at the pouring rain_

_An unrecognizable emotion flickers_

_As her heart conceals her pain_

Where had that come from? I shook my head. I was too tired to construct poems. I sighed deeply and sleep finally came.

I was being shaken awake. A hand covered my mouth, muffling my screams. I panicked, and struggled wildly to get free. _I have to escape- I can't let him do this to me! _Any moment now I would smell the stale beer, the scratch of his unshaven cheek.

"Jesus Christ, calm down woman! It's me," Hunter whispered in my ear, and slowly I remembered where I was. I shut up and he let me go.

"Sorry," I muttered. "I thought that….never mind."

He gave me a strange look. "Ok.. there's a gang of about three people sleeping in the tree behind us."

"Oh. Lucky they didn't see us huh,"

"Yeah," he agreed, "Well I'm just going to go kill them. Be right back,"

"Woah, hang on!" I pulled him back, "You can't do that!"

"Why not? If the situation were reversed they wouldn't hesitate to do the same," He argued.

"But it's cold blooded murder!" I protested, feeling sick. "They don't even have a chance!"

"Welcome to the hunger games. Kill or be killed," He said grimly, and tugged his arm back.

Before I could disagree further, we both heard a low growl a few meters behind us. I froze, as did Hunter. Looking for the source, we saw a monstrosity of an animal; a cross between a bear and a large dog. It was climbing the tree, and as I looked up I saw two of its friends. They were almost at the three sleeping humans.

"Run," Hunter whispered.

I ran.

I ran so fast that the trees and ground all became a brown-and-green blur, but I could clearly hear as the screaming began. Loud wails of terror filled the air around us, and they didn't stop. I grimaced as I remembered the razor sharp teeth on those bear-dogs. I should have let Hunter kill them- at least it would have been quick, painless.

Suddenly I crumpled to the ground as a force knocked down my back. I came face to face with the snarling monster. Its eyes were a hungry yellow, and I knew that they craved my blood. Its mouth opened wide and I glimpsed the long fangs, as it drooled saliva onto my neck. I'd never know real fear until now- it coursed through my veins and my blood turned to ice. I whimpered, terrified. The thing sensed my fear and I swear it smiled, before lunging at my throat.

The next thing I knew something was pulling it off me. It had a knife speared into its back.

I passed out.

Opening my eyes, I was surrounded by darkness. _Am I dead? _Then my eyes adjusted and I saw I was in a cave of sorts. My face hurt, but at least I was warm. I looked to the side and saw a pathetic excuse of a fire. Hunter was sitting beside it, the flames reflected in his eyes. He looked up and smiled at me.

"How you doing?" He asked, his face full of concern.

I could have told him how scared I'd been. I could have cried. I could even have said thank you.

Instead, my idiotic response was this; "Why didn't you let it kill me?"

He shrugged uncomfortably. "I still need an ally," He said.

"Thanks."

"No problem,"

"I swear that thing was…" I failed to find the right word to describe exactly how terrified I'd been in that moment when I thought I was about to be slowly ripped to shreds.

"I know."  
"So how long have I been out?"

"6 hours."

"Wow!"

He smiled. "Oh and it kind of scratched your face, by the way,"

So that's why it hurt every time I blinked. "Mirror," I demanded.

He faltered. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, you just woke up.."

"Mirror. Now."

He passed me the small mirror that had been in his backpack. There was a scar going down my left eye- it reminded me of Scar from the Lion King. I found out that I liked the way it look- dangerous. Scary.

"I hate it," I lied.

"Really? I think it looks sort of…" He pursed his lips, struggling to find the right work to describe how ugly I looked.

"Yes?"

"Well…sexy."

I looked at him for a moment and then burst out laughing.

"_Thank_ you," I flashed him a brilliant smile. "What's for dinner?"

"Well…"

I noticed lots of meat spread out around and on top of the fire. No squirrel was that big. This animal had to be the size of a small bear…

Oh god. I realized what it was.

"Yolo," he said, handing me some meat. "Don't worry- it tastes like chicken."

I think I fainted again.

**PLEASE review it people :) :P**


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